The Queen and the Outlaw
by MarcyGoomen
Summary: During Voyager's sixth year in the Delta Quadrant, Neelix plans a Halloween costume party for the crew.


**Author's Note**: For whatever reason, I just had the desire to write a Janeway/Chakotay Halloween story, and of course I waited for the last minute to do so. It's a little more on the friendship side, but there are some flirty moments between the two of them. Also, a tad cliche, but when it comes to Halloween fanfics, it tends to happen. :D

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><p><strong>The Queen and the Outlaw<strong>

Captain Janeway stretched her back and rubbed her neck as she waited by her ready room replicator for her coffee. Even though replicated coffee never compared to the finest organic suspension ever devised, as she liked to refer to it, it still managed to do the trick.

Kathryn slowly made her way to her desk, letting the enticing aroma filter through the air. She took careful sips of the magical liquid concoction, making sure not to spill any on herself. She could feel it already working its way through her system as she sat down on her desk chair. She let out a sigh as she picked up one of many PADDs on her desk with one and holding onto the metallic coffee cup in the other.

It had been one of those days filled with constant tension and uncertainty, which, to be honest, was nothing new after six years in the lovely Delta Quadrant. It was somewhat of a rare occasion to have an uneventful, quiet time on the bridge. If it wasn't an encounter with a hostile new alien species, it was some problem with _Voyager_. There was always something occurring. Always.

She had managed to escape to her ready room with an hour left in her duty shift. As much as she hated to admit it, she was tired. She tried to shake the weary feeling away and continue to read Tuvok's security report, but after rereading the first couple of sentences several times, she gave up. It was pointless trying to read something that she would most likely have to reread again at a later date.

She set the PADD down, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her chair, holding onto the mug with both her hands, feeling the warmth warm her skin. She knew she shouldn't be relaxing while she was technically on duty, but, for once, she decided she was going to be a tad selfish.

She adjusted her back against the chair and could feel herself starting to doze off when the chime to her ready room interrupted her.

"Of course," she mumbled to herself, as she opened her eyes and straightened her posture. She blinked several times trying to force the sleep away. Once she felt she was successfully alert she uttered, "Come."

The always colorfully dressed Talaxian stood at the entry of her doorway looking almost too content with himself.

"Good afternoon, Captain!" His naturally perky demeanor quickly turned down several notches when he noticed the tired look on his captain's face. "I…I hope I'm not bothering you… I…I just needed a moment of your time."

"It's no bother, Neelix." She forced a smile. Well she hoped it was a smile because she was certain it came out more like a grimace. "Come in. Take a seat," she said, as she gestured toward the chair in front of her desk.

Neelix gingerly made his way into her ready room and sat down. "I promise this will be quick. As you know, besides being an exquisite chef for this crew, I'm also the morale officer, as well as ambassador..."

Janeway's left eyebrow unconsciously rose to new heights at the words _exquisite chef_, which she hoped Neelix hadn't noticed. And from the way he continued talking, he hadn't.

"…and on top of those titles, I'm also Naomi's godfather." Neelix paused as if looking for the right words to continue.

Kathryn felt her patience wearing thin since he was practically telling her information she was already aware of. Any other day she might have tolerated the loquacious cook, but today was not one of those days.

"What's on your mind, Neelix?"

"Well, uh…Halloween."

After waiting for further explanation and receiving none, she finally asked, "What about Halloween?"

"I wanted to ask your permission to take Naomi trick-or-treating."

"On the holodeck?" She squinted, slightly confused by the request. "You don't need my permission to use the holodeck, Neelix. I mean, I think you would need to ask Ensign Wildman permission before you ask for mine?"

"No, I meant…are you sure you're fine, Captain? I can come back later."

She was on the verge of annoyance but the serious look on his face and concern in his tone made her realize he only meant well. She smiled warmly, "I'm fine, Neelix. It's just been a long day. So what did you mean by your request?"

He returned her smile and continued, "I didn't mean trick-or-treating on the holodeck but on _Voyager._ You know, to the crew's quarters."

She silently mouthed an "Ohhh" in understanding.

"I just wanted to know if that would be okay with you before I began making preparations."

She inwardly grinned at the thought of not having to deal with a Halloween party with the crew as Neelix's focus would be on Naomi. Not that she hated parties on the ship, but they were usually awkward functions in the mess hall, which she succeeded in escaping way before they were supposed to be over.

"I think it's a wonderful idea and Naomi will love it. You can announce your plans to the crew once you have all the details set."

"Thank you, Captain. And once Naomi is done trick-or-treating, the adults can have their Halloween party on the holodeck and not the mess hall. I want this Halloween to be memorable!"

The elated sensation she had been feeling quickly disappeared and ware replaced by slight irritation. She immediately began to mentally concoct all the possible excused to escape this party, but she knew that it was a futile effort. As the Captain it was her duty to attend.

She forced another smile. "I'm sure it will all come out great."

"Well, I better get going. I only have a week to make everything perfect." He stood up from the chair and made his way to the door. "Oh and Captain," he said, turning to face her once again. "I suggest you begin to search for costume ideas."

"Costumes?!"

"Oh, did I neglect to mention that? Yes, I guess I did. This year it's a costume party." Neelix's eyes widened and twinkled with excitement.

She let out a low groan, but managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Do Starfleet uniforms count?" She deadpanned, as she stared at the overly eager Talaxian.

"Oh, Captain, I'm always impressed by your jokes and sense of humor," Neelix said, smiling at her. "Well, I better get going. Thank you." He turned around and left.

She stared at the doors and watched them close. She let out a sigh and leaned her head against the backrest of the chair.

"That wasn't a joke," she mumbled to the now empty room, as she set down her now lukewarm coffee onto her desk.

=/\=

Chakotay watched Neelix enter the Captain's ready room and wondered what new quest he was on. It was somewhat rare for Neelix to make his way to the bridge nowadays. Chakotay couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the earlier years on _Voyager_. Neelix seemed to always have a complaint or suggestion for the Captain. It had taken him some time to adapt to Starfleet rules. And now, Neelix was a pivotal part of the crew.

Chakotay had been so lost in reminiscing that he almost missed Neelix's hasty exit. From the large smile on Neelix's face, he could only assume the Captain had approved whatever idea Neelix had presented to her.

He was tempted to make a casual trip to the Captain's ready room but he quickly vetoed his own idea. There were only twenty minutes left in their shift and he was certain a dinner invitation would discretely provide him with the gossip.

Chakotay waited patiently, fidgeting with a PADD, hoping today wouldn't be one of those nights Kathryn decided to stay in her ready room far beyond duty shift hours. However, he was fairly certain she would leave right on time because she had been looking rather tired lately. Not that she ever mentioned anything about being exhausted to him. He had just learned to read her like an open book.

The hiss of opening doors caused his head to involuntarily jerk toward the sound. A fatigued looking Kathryn quickly made her way up the few steps toward the turbolift. She momentarily stopped to mumble something at Tuvok and then continued on her way. Chakotay quickly rose from his seat and followed in pursuit, accidentally taking the PADD along with him.

He barely made it in time to catch the turbolift. Chakotay looked over at Kathryn, who seemed to not have registered his entrance at all. She did look tired but appeared to have something else on her mind. And Chakotay was certain Neelix was the culprit.

Chakotay figured that if he was going to invite her to dinner he might as well do it now. "Kathryn, care to join me in the mess hall if you don't already have plans?"

Kathryn slightly jumped at the voice. Having been so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't even paid attention to her surroundings and just noticed her First Officer in the lift with her. "I'm sorry, Chakotay. What did you say?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to distract you. Everything fine?"

"Oh, yes. Everything's fine. So what did you ask me?"

"If you wanted to have dinner. In the mess hall."

"Oh." She paused. "Yes and no."

Chakotay couldn't help but smile, mainly at her lack of explanation. "Um, so does that mean I'll be having dinner alone?"

"No." Kathryn couldn't help but slightly chuckle. "I'll have dinner with you. But not in the mess hall."

"Oh. Let me guess. Neelix?"

"Neelix," she replied, letting out a deep breath. "Dinner in my quarters?"

"That sounds like a plan."

Before Chakotay could ask about Neelix, the turbolift reached deck three. They both exited and made their way to her quarters.

They walked in silence until Kathryn looked over at Chakotay and said, "Don't think I don't know why you're so keen in having dinner tonight. You want to know why Neelix was in my ready room, don't you? Don't worry, I'll tell you over dinner."

Chakotay couldn't help but stop dead in his tracks, mouth slightly agape. He watched Kathryn as she continued to walk toward her room, casually throwing a glance at him over her shoulder. A proud smirk plastered on her face.

_I guess we're both open books_. He sighed and quickly caught up to his captain.

=/\=

There was only one day left before the Halloween festivities and Kathryn had been very mute on the subject. Chakotay hadn't discussed the topic with her since their dinner together a couple nights before, but he knew she wasn't too excited about the party. Especially the costume part.

Chakotay casually glanced over at her. She sat straight in her command chair, staring intently at the viewscreen, as if she were in some sort of trance. _Voyager_ had been traveling at warp seven for several hours and other then the streaks of passing stars, there was nothing else to look at.

He carefully leaned over toward the middle console that sat in between their chairs and feigned interest in the readings. His movements caught her attention. When he raised his head, he was met with her smiling face.

"Interesting stuff going on, huh?" He sarcastically asked.

"I can barely control my excitement," she quickly remarked, playfully rolling her eyes.

Chakotay had to force himself to stifle his laugh. "So, have you decided on the excuse you are going to use to get out of attending the Halloween party?" He quietly said while impishly smiling, making sure she knew he made the comment in jest. However, he wasn't prepared for the death glare that was shot his way. For a moment he thought he had crossed the line. But her killer look was slowly replaced by a playful smirk.

"Commander, why would you think I would want to excuse myself from, what is Neelix calling it? 'The Party of All Parties'?"

"Yes, I believe that's what I heard him say this morning as he scooped what he likes to call scrambled eggs onto my plate."

Kathryn visibly grimaced. "Those were horrible, weren't they?"

"Beyond. I just wish he didn't add Leola root to everything." He momentarily paused. "Speaking of Leola root, maybe that could be my costume: a giant Leola Root."

Kathryn could barely control her laughter. The image of Chakotay walking around as a golden colored root with sprouts coming out of his head was just too much for her to handle. After regaining her composure she inquired, "So I take it you don't have a costume yet?"

Chakotay sighed, "I don't. Halloween is a foreign concept for me."

"It's not any different from dressing up to visit the holodeck."

"To be honest, I rarely dress up for that."

"Well, you're no fun." She playfully, slapped his arm, causing him to break out in a giant, dimpled grin. She briefly stared at him when a knowing smile spread across her face. She leaned in a little closer to his chair and lowered her voice a little. "Why don't you let me choose your costume?"

Chakotay was temporarily distracted by the fragrant scent of her hair before he registered what she had asked him. "Wait, you want to pick out my costume?" He was met with a slightly too enthusiastic nod. He smiled, "Okay, but only if I can choose yours."

For a moment she considered rescinding her request but she was also never one to reject a challenge. She scrutinized her first officer through narrowed eyes, focusing on his devilish smile, wondering if she was getting herself into a world of trouble by accepting his challenge. "That sounds like an acceptable task, but I think we should set some guidelines."

"Agreed."

Over the following hour they succeeded in coming up with several rules they both thought were necessary to have, the main one being that the costume had to be appropriate. They agreed on messaging each other later that day at eighteen hundred hours with their costume idea.

"So does that sound reasonable?" Kathryn asked.

"Very reasonable."

When their shift ended, they both made their way to the mess hall. They shared a quiet meal together and the topic of Halloween never made its way into their conversation. Neelix was too busy with the rush of crewmembers that he never got the chance to chat with the command team, which Kathryn was grateful for. Once they finished their questionable meal, they both left together.

"I guess I have some research to do now," Kathryn smugly said, as they walked down the corridor.

"So do I." Chakotay briefly paused and looked at Kathryn, an expression of concern shadowing his face.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, stepping into the turbolift.

He waited for the doors to close before saying, "Is Orion slave girl spelled with one 'R' or two? I can't remember."

"Cha-ko-tay!" His name came out in almost a screech. "We have rules!"

Chakotay was glad they were alone in the turbolift because the laugh that escaped from his mouth was louder than expected. "I'm sorry, Kathryn. I just like to tease," he said, trying to calm his laugh as he wiped away a tear.

"Very funny." She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.

As they exited the turbolift and made their way to their respective quarters Chakotay called over his shoulder, "Don't forget, eighteen hundred hours."

"I won't" she replied, as she disappeared around the corner of the corridor toward her quarters.

=/\=

Kathryn scrambled around her quarters, making sure everything was in place and tidy, mainly she had to place all the scattered coffee cups into the recycler. Neelix had sent out a memo to the crew stating that trick-or-treating would begin at exactly nineteen hundred hours followed by the costume party on the holodeck an hour later.

She had ten minutes before Naomi was expected at her door with Neelix and she had nothing to give the child. She figured a nice hot cup of coffee might stir her creative juices and requested one from the replicator. Once she had the steamy cup in her hand she took a seat on her couch. Kathryn knew candy was the customary item of choice to give on Halloween to trick-or-treaters, but she figured if all crewmembers were to give the young child candy, there would be a very sick Naomi and an equally upset Samantha Wildman.

Kathryn took a sip of her coffee and slightly lowered her head as if that would help her thought process. Her mind wandered to all possible items and decided that if she could not think of anything remotely interesting, she would replicate some popping candy rocks she and Phoebe used to love when they were young. Her thought process was interrupted by the chime of her combadge.

"_Spooky Neelix to Creepy Captain Janeway._"

Kathryn couldn't help but furrow her brows and scowl. She was about to remind Neelix of protocols but figured she would let it slip in the spirit of the holiday.

She raised her hand to her chest and tapped the combadge, "Creepy Captain Janeway here."

"_I just wanted to make sure you were in your quarters. Naomi wanted to visit you first._"

"Oh I see. Yes, I'm here. I will be expecting your arrival shortly. Janeway out."

Kathryn jumped up from the couch and was about to race her way to the replicator to request the popping candy when the cool metal registered under her fingertips. "A combadge!" she exclaimed. "Naomi, could use a combadge!"

The sparkling light from the replicator had just produced the shiny new combadge when the chime to her quarters rang. Kathryn picked up the item, straightened her uniform, and opened the door.

When the doors swished open, she was met with the most adorable and comical sight. Naomi wore a tiny command red Starfleet uniform, with four pips, little black boots, and the perfect replica of Kathryn's long gone complicated French twist bun coif. In her hand she held onto a bucket that Kathryn later recognized to be a plastic Jack-o'-lantern. Neelix proudly stood next to his goddaughter donning the perfect costume: a court jester.

"Trick-o-treat!" Naomi exclaimed, stretching out her arms and placing the bucket in front of her.

Kathryn was about to place the combadge in Naomi's plastic bucket until she thought otherwise. "Naomi, this is a fantastic costume and I think you need to wear this now. It will complete your ensemble," Kathryn said, smiling intently at the young girl. She crouched down and carefully placed the combadge onto Naomi's uniform in the correct location.

Naomi's face lit up when she noticed what the captain had placed on her uniform. "Is it real?" she asked, her blue eye twinkling with surprise.

"It is. My assistant needs a combadge in case of an emergency," Kathryn replied, now beaming at the young girl's excitement. Before she knew it, two small arms reached around her neck and gave her a tight hug. Kathryn gently returned the unexpected gesture.

"Thank you so much, Captain," Naomi stated, as she pulled away.

"I'm glad you liked it." It was taking Kathryn every effort to control the tears that had collected in her eyes. As she stood up, she noticed Neelix warmly smiling at her. "Wonderful costume, Mr. Neelix."

"Thank you, Captain," Neelix said, flicking one of the bells hanging from his jester hat. Neelix face turned slightly serious. "I don't mean to pry, Captain, but that isn't your costume, is it?"

Kathryn looked down at her uniform and jokingly said, "It is. I was planning on removing three pips and going as an ensign."

"Oh…well…uh, great costume!" Neelix tried to fake his enthusiasm unsuccessfully.

Kathryn looked at him and smiled, "I'm only kidding, Neelix. I just haven't had time to change. I spent the day in engineering helping with repairs and I only made it to my quarters about twenty minutes ago."

"That's fantastic, Captain. Well, Naomi, let's continue on our way. We don't want to keep others waiting."

Naomi stopped fiddling with her new combadge and lifted her head, a giant grin still plastered on her face. "Thank you again, Captain."

Kathryn watched Naomi and Neelix walk away down the corridor and was about to make her way inside when she heard Neelix say, "I can't wait to see your costume, Captain."

Kathryn unconsciously dropped her head and closed her eyes. _My costume_.

She dragged herself into her quarters and leaned against the nearest chair. She couldn't help but laugh at herself now at her initial shock when she received Chakotay's memo the night before. From all the possible costume ideas she had never expected him to pick what he did. She had wanted to ask him about it during their shared shift but she had ended up assisting B'Elanna with repairs in engineering and never got the chance.

Kathryn scanned the room looking for the forgotten cup of coffee she had replicated earlier. She spotted the item on the coffee table in front of the couch. She picked up the mug and took a sip. The coffee was cold and she frowned at the waste of the delicious liquid. She placed it again in the replicator and considered replicating another but was almost positive it would reach the same fate as this cup. She was about to make her way to her bedroom to put on her outfit when she heard the chime to her door. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

_Of course he's right on time_.

Kathryn's annoyance was quickly replaced by the notion that if Chakotay was at her door, that could only mean he was already in costume, which immediately set her in a good mood. She hadn't spent a lot of time searching for a costume for him. If she were going to be honest with herself, she had on occasion, let her mind wander. She had envisioned various holodeck programs the both of them could visit together, but unfortunately, never found the time.

The sound of the chime ringing again brought her back to reality. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She was met with piercing dark brown eyes and a mischievous dimpled smile. Kathryn couldn't help couldn't help but let her eyes wander. The green colored V-neck shirt he wore accentuated his broad shoulders and chest. His black pants matched his calf length boots. He had covered his tattoo for the occasion and was sporting perfectly shaped mustache that actually suited him really well. She had to silently congratulate herself on this costume choice because Chakotay wore it very well.

"Hello, my lady," Chakotay said, removing his hat and bowing in front of her. "May I ask where thy costume may be?"

Kathryn couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, Chakotay, I'm running a little behind. I'll change right now. Come in."

Chakotay made his way into her quarters. "I'm sorry Lady Kathryn, I am unaware of this Chakotay fellow you mention. Is he your…"Chakotay dramatically gasped, "…paramour?!"

Kathryn guffawed. "I'm sure he wishes. He's a little too full of himself. Also, he's not very good looking either."

Chakotay clutched his chest, "I will be offended for this Chakotay you speak of."

Kathryn stared at him in amusement. He was really enjoying himself it appeared. "I'm going to change. I'll be right back. Help yourself to anything from the replicator."

"Does thy Lady need assistance in getting undressed? I have been told I have very skillful hands."

"You better watch thyself, mister. I'm still your Captain," Kathryn said, as she popped her head from behind her bedroom wall. "Also, are you going to keep this up all night?" Her query was met with laughter from the other room.

"No. Just wanted to see how far I could go before I could sense your annoyance." He smiled. He was pretty sure he could feel Kathryn rolling her eyes from the other room. "So tell me," he said, as he replicated two glasses of champagne, "Why did you pick this costume?"

"I don't know, you've always somewhat reminded me of the character." Her voice sounded muffled as if she was putting on an article of clothing. "It's more what the character embodies, 'robbing from the rich, and giving to the poor,' you know, somewhat similar to the Maquis fighting against the Cardassians."

"I never thought about that." Chakotay took a sip from the champagne glass and took a seat on the couch, setting the second glass on the table. "I replicated you a glass of champagne."

"That sounds wonderful. I'll be out in a minute." He could hear the struggle in her tone. "This is just a tad intricate. Seriously, Chakotay, why this?"

Chakotay muffled his laugh. "Well, I missed it the first time around. I only heard second hand accounts from Tom and Harry, which only made me want to see it even more."

"Well, are you happy now?"

Chakotay couldn't help but swallow hard when he lifted his head and caught her standing in her bedroom doorway; one hand on her hip and the other arm above her head, holding onto the wall. He couldn't help but notice the slit in the dress and how far up her thigh it went. He was also glad he had opted for the looser fitting pants and not the tights most databases recommended for his costume.

"Wow, Kathryn. You look…" He rose from the couch, blinking several times, searching for the right words that wouldn't be too bland or too over the top. "You look…magnificent."

She stared at him with a cold look in her eye. She lifted her chin and raised one eyebrow. "You may refer to me as Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People." She walked closer to him, making sure not to look his way. "Lowly subject, I believe you mentioned there being champagne. Please hand it to me." She kept her vision focused on some distant point but reached out her arm, waiting for the champagne glass to be placed in her hand.

"Lowly subject?" Chakotay couldn't help but chuckle.

"Is there a problem?" She finally looked at him with the most patronizing look possible.

"Oh, uh, no…my queen." Chakotay reached for the champagne glass and handed it over.

She took a sip of the drink, "Subpar, but it will do." She sashayed her way around her living quarters. "Are you supposed to escort me to this celebration?"

"Indeed, I am."

"Hmm, I was expecting more than one guard. I guess you shall suffice." She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"I am almost certain I can summon my Merry Men to escort you as well."

"No, that will be…"

"_Neelix to Captain Janeway_"

Kathryn looked somewhat caught off guard by the disembodied voice. She reached into the puffy sleeve of her dress and pulled out her combadge.

"Janeway here."

"_Captain, the party has begun and we are missing two very important people._"

"We are on our way, Neelix. Janeway Out." Kathryn looked over at Chakotay and smiled. "I didn't realize it was already time to leave."

"Me either, but to be fair, I was distracted."

Kathryn playfully slapped his chest. "Well I guess we should get going before Neelix has some sort of heart attack."

Chakotay hooked his arm around Kathryn's and led her toward the door. He smiled over at her and said, "Well, here goes nothing."

=/\=

Kathryn and Chakotay entered the holodeck, not sure what to expect. It took their eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. Both glanced at one another with looks of curiosity and confusion.

They both stood in an empty, long hallway. The air smelled musty as if the room had not been in use for a long time. The walls were covered in dark wallpaper with intricate ivy like designs. Various large paintings of macabre images hung from the walls, most covered in thin layers of dust and spider webs. Widely spaced candles were the only source of light, except for the streams of moonlight that seeped in through the cracks of the curtain covered windows. Even though the floor was covered in a raggedy carpet, every step they both took caused the floor boards to creak underneath them. At the far end of the hallway stood a large, open wooden door that led them to another room. From the silence, it appeared to be empty.

Kathryn wasn't one to scare easily. She had fought and defeated the Borg multiples times and had been in situations far more serious than this one. But for some reason, she could feel her heart racing in her chest and her palms getting clammy.

They had unconsciously moved closer together as they continued to make their way to the opened door. The darkness of the room making their travels slow.

"What is this place?" Kathryn whispered, her eyes wandering to inspect the space above them.

"Beats me. But it's giving me this eerie feeling. Like…well, I'm actually not sure how to describe it."

"I know what you mean. It somewhat reminds me of this mansion I visited with a boyfriend when I was a teenager."

"Oh?"

"But this program is far creepier."

"Let just make it to the next room. I'm sure we are bound to run into someone else soon."

"Agreed."

The costumed pair took a couple steps further toward the large doorway when the outsized door slammed shut with all its force, causing the curtains to flutter and the barely lit candles to burn out. Kathryn and Chakotay instinctively jumped into each other's arms; her hand grabbing onto his shirt and his arm wrapping around her shoulder.

When Kathryn realized how tightly she was holding onto Chakotay's shirt, she immediately let go. She felt his arm slide from her shoulder, but still remained close.

"I'm going to kill Neelix," she mumbled under her breath. Chakotay's shaky laughter being his only response.

At that moment the lights to the hallway lit themselves again and the wooden door creaked opened on its own. When the door completely opened, Chakotay and Kathryn could see their costumed crew on the other side.

They both walked into a slightly better lit grand ballroom, decorated with string lights and many pumpkins. There were round tables around the room with a spacious dance floor in the center. It seemed all of the crew was already in attendance.

"As much as I want to hurt Neelix for that hallway stunt, I think he really outdid himself this time," Kathryn said, surveying her surroundings and then looking toward Chakotay. She noticed him grimacing and rubbing his chest. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure. I may have to visit sickbay." He paused, still rubbing his chest.

Kathryn was about to pull out her combadge to contact the Doctor when she noticed Chakotay's devious smile. She rolled her eyes, "You are the worst!"

Chakotay laughed. "To be fair, I'm pretty sure you removed a layer of skin with your nails when you grabbed onto my shirt."

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to having such long fingernails. I don't know how anyone can get anything done with these."

Neelix picked the perfect time to make his appearance. "Welcome, Captain, Commander, to this year's Halloween spectacular."

"This looks amazing, Neelix," Kathryn replied. "Everyone looks like they are having a great time."

"Thank you, Captain. So, did you like the entrance to the program? Tom designed it since I didn't have the time to do everything. He thought it would get everyone in the spirit."

"Of course. Tom." Kathryn nodded, scanning the room in search of her sandy-haired pilot.

"Well, Captain. I'll leave you two to socialize. There's a variety of food and drinks but let me know if you need anything else. Also, brilliant costume choice."

During previous parties, Kathryn had spent about thirty minutes socializing and then casually escaped to her quarters without anyone noticing. It had become her tradition. However, this year, she had managed to make it to the end of the party at midnight. She was so glad her crew was having an enjoyable time. They worked so hard that I was necessary for them to relax.

Kathryn had danced and eaten and marveled at the creativity of some of the costumes. There were some costumes she was able to figure out immediately: Harry as Zefram Cochrane, the Doctor as Shakespeare, and Lt. Ayala as 1940's detective. However, she had not been able to figure out Tom and B'Elanna's costume. They had finally told her they were a zombie prom couple. Even after the explanation she wasn't quite sure what that meant.

She was taking the last sip of what remained of her apple cider before heading out when Chakotay approached her. "Does my Lady need an escort to her quarters?"

"I wouldn't mind some companionship, especially if we have to walk through that hallway again."

Chakotay laughed. "I checked with Tom. That was just for the entrance."

"I have to admit, Tom works wonders with the holodeck," she said, as she stood up from the chair and called for the arch.

They walked in silence most of the way to her quarters, only occasionally making remarks of comical events throughout the night.

When they finally reached Kathryn's quarters, she turned to face Chakotay. "Thank you for tonight, I had a wonderful time."

A small smile spread across Chakotay's face. "I had a wonderful time too. And thank you for humoring me about the costume. Part of me thought you weren't going to wear it"

Kathryn giggled. "I'm not going to lie. I thought about it."

"Well, I better get going. It's late. Have a good night, Kathryn. And Happy Halloween."

In a moment of sheer courage, possibly fueled by her outlandish costume, Kathryn leaned forward and placed a small, delicate kiss on his tender lips. When she pulled back she whispered, "Happy Halloween to you, too," and opened the door to her quarters.

Chakotay blinked several times trying to remember how breathing worked. Her actions had completely surprised him and he wasn't sure what to do. Before he made the situation awkward, he composed himself and repeated, "Uh, well, uh, good night" and turned to leave.

Kathryn observed him as he walked down the corridor, before he completely disappeared around the bend, she yelled after him, "Next year I want to see tights."

Chakotay's laughter echoed throughout the corridor as she made her way into her room.

_The End_


End file.
